This time when he was admitted, it was serious. I don't know if any of you know what arterial blood gases (abg's) are but this is a most important blood test in people with lung diseases. His were all off the normal readings. He was not exchanging his gases well and his CO2 was high. He slept all the time and was very hard to arouse. We followed orders with his oxygen (O2). Still no response.

The doctor wanted us to keep him awake and make him take deep breathes to start the proper exchange of gases. He was taking in oxygen but he was not blowing off the CO2 as he should, so that was why he was so sleepy.

Now with so many patients on the floor, it was hard on us to keep going into his room to shake him awake. I put him in a Geri-chair and moved him behind the nurse's station so all of us could shake him awake every time he fell asleep. A gerichair is a chair that has a tray that fastens across the patient, sort of like an adult high chair.

He would look around and give us his sheepish grin when we walked by. It got to the point that when one of us shook him, he would say "I know, I am awake. I just resting my eyes." We were very busy that day with medications and other patient care. Lindsey went to sleep.

Our head nurse walked by him and beat on the table of the chair and said in a loud voice "Lindsey! Wake up". It startled him awake so fast and scared him so that he peed all over the floor (which was carpet). We got so tickled at the two of them. She literally scared the pee out of him and she was so startled that she jumped back but not fast enough before her legs and feet were soaked.

Lindsey got better and we got to send him home. He came back in several times before his death. I think of him with fond memories and can always start laughing out loud when I do think of him.

One night, long after I went to bed, I awoke and thought about him. Bill came running into the bedroom to see what the was the matter with me. "Nothing, just thought of something funny at work" I always went to bed before him since I had to get up at 4: 30 every morning.